Advocating For a Healthy South Dakota with Kitty Kinsman
Kitty Kinsman is a passionate advocate who has used her voice to positively influence the health and quality of life in South Dakota and her community. Inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame (SDHoF) in 2020, she is known for her strong leadership and ability to energize, engage, and support others to get things done.
Kitty sat down with SDHoF Board Director Steve Flanery to discuss her life’s impact on South Dakota, and to share some of the lessons she has learned along the way.
Kitty grew up in Watertown, SD, and her foray into public policy and advocacy began as part of the high school debate team, where she learned to research issues, cultivate persuasive skills, and work in teams.
“An important part [of growing] is saying yes to opportunities,” shared Kitty, “and sometimes you’re not the one that sees the opportunity; other people will see them in you.”
In 1983, Kitty was hired as Assistant to the Secretary of the SD Department of Health (DOH) to spearhead its legislative efforts and special projects, including chairing Governor Bill Janklow’s Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Advisory Council. Janklow appointed her Secretary of Health in 1985; she was one of the country’s youngest health officers to ever serve at the time. Kitty was then reappointed by Governor George S. Mickelson.
While at the DOH, she and her team advanced several policy initiatives, including making all state facilities smoke-free, creating the Office of Rural Health, a collaboration with the USD School of Medicine; placing a moratorium on nursing home bed construction to shift investment into non-institutional options for persons in need of long term care; and launching the HEALTH 2000 initiative, an ambitious public/private effort to improve the health status of South Dakotans. Kitty considers the Office of Rural Health a project near and dear to her heart.
In 1989, Kitty received a Bush Foundation Leadership Fellowship and left the state government to pursue a master’s degree at Stanford University Business School. The Stanford experience led to co-founding a health sciences software company with two classmates to support pharmaceutical and biotech research in Silicon Valley. The start-up venture underscored the importance of building effective teams and how technology could be used to support teams working remotely.
During her time at Stanford, she experienced a whole new way of viewing challenges in life, and shared,
“These were people who just looked at a business failure or a project failure as a learning lesson,” marveled Kitty, “They saw them as a way to move on and do big things.”
Kitty returned to South Dakota in 1996 and was asked by a local Rapid City physician to help organize tobacco-free efforts. Kitty’s passion for health policy was rekindled. She formed The K Group to use her coalition building and advocacy skills to advance smoke-free and other health policy initiatives. Kitty led the formation of the South Dakota Tobacco-Free Kids Network in 1998, a coalition of 50 statewide organizations whose efforts over 12 years resulted in one of the country’s most comprehensive indoor smoke-free laws. Kitty’s ability to build consensus and organize advocates continues to positively impact access to healthcare in rural areas and services for persons with disabilities.
At the conclusion of her interview, Kitty reflected on lessons learned throughout her career and felt a resounding message to share with the younger generation today:
“Be open to opportunities, and things that you may not see for yourself,” said Kitty, “Say yes when asked, and be ready to do the work. People see things in you that you may not see in yourself, and that will open doors for you in ways that you cannot possibly imagine.”
Learn more about the inspiring work of Kitty Kinsman on her legacy page.